1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handy filter device of dripping type for extracting drinks such as coffee, tea, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there has been a widespread use of filter devices for coffee of dripping type in which hot water is directly poured on ground coffee to extract coffee liquid, and a lot of the filter devices of this type have been proposed, put into practice, and placed on market.
In most of the handy filter devices of disposable type for one person or a few people, ground coffee is integrally enclosed in the device in advance, and coffee liquid can be extracted simply by pouring hot water. Moreover, because the filter device of the type can be disposed of, after use, as a trash, it has been widely and conveniently used.
The filter device of this disposable type can be largely classified into two types. One is a filter device for coffee of a store room supporting type consisting of a store room for storing ground coffee, and a support for supporting and fixing the store room at an edge of a coffee cup or the like, and in which coffee liquid is recovered after hot water has been directly poured on the ground coffee stored in the store room, and in which the store room storing the ground coffee is dipped in the hot water reserved in the coffee cup. Further, as the other type, there is a filter device of a container type including a cup-like container for reserving hot water, and the store room for storing the ground coffee which is integrally assembled to the container. The hot water which has been once reserved in the container is allowed to pass through the store room to extract the coffee liquid.
The present invention relates to an improvement of the latter container type of these two types of the filter devices.
This filter device of the container type has been originally intended to be simple and handy, because it is aimed to be disposable. Accordingly, there has been a tendency that light material is selected. When such a filter device made of the light material is placed on a cup and hot water is directly poured, the filter device may become extremely unstable due to weight and pressure of the hot water flowing down, and sometimes, may fall from the cup if roughly treated.
Under the above circumstances, careful attention must be paid when pouring the hot water, and such a filter device as can be placed on a cup in the most stable manner has been required.
The filter device of this container type, when compared with the aforesaid filter device of the store room supporting type, has had such disadvantages that its body part formed in a cup-like shape for reserving the hot water is bulky, and production cost is relatively high in spite of disposable type. There has been another drawback that it is difficult to dispose of the filter device because of its material.
It has been a serious problem inter alia that the filter device of this type requires a larger space for stocking, transporting or displaying in shops, as compared with the filter device of the store room supporting type which can be folded into a compact state.
In order to solve the above described problems, there have been already proposed such coffee extractors as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publications Nos. 5-10766 and 5-40843.
In the former coffee extractor, a container body is provided with vertical pleats at a peripheral face of its lower half part, a folding line formed at an upper edge of the vertical pleats, and horizontal pleats in a radial direction at a stepped part which continuously forms a store room for storing ground coffee, thereby enabling the peripheral face of the lower half part of the container body to be folded by means of these vertical and horizontal pleats, and the folding line. In this manner, the container body can be folded into a half thus to house the store room inside the container body.
In the latter coffee extractor, a container body is also provided with vertical pleats at a peripheral face of its lower half part, a folding line formed at an upper edge of the vertical pleats, and an annular groove formed at an outer circumferential edge of a stepped part which continuously forms a store room. The container body will be folded at the folding line and the annular groove while being reduced in diameter by means of the vertical pleats thereby enabling the lower half part of the container body to be folded inside an upper half part. In this manner, the container body can be folded with the store room for coffee housed therein.
These two proposals aim to reduce a capacity of the coffee extractor into a half by folding the lower half of the container body having a cup-like shape into the upper half, thus making it compact, in order to solve the bulky state in the prior art. However, they have still such problems that the vertical and horizontal pleats must be formed on the peripheral face of the container body and the folding line must be formed at the upper edge of the vertical pleats in order to fold the container body. Further, in the latter proposal, the annular groove must be formed.
Formation of these vertical and horizontal pleats, the folding line, the annular groove, and so on has been inevitable means to be adopted, since synthetic resin material having rigidity has been selected in the two proposals to produce the extractors. However, there has been a further problem that because folded configurations are defined by shapes and dimensions of the pleats, the folding line and the annular groove, and positional relations therebetween, and further because the folding operation is promoted through cooperation between the vertical pleats and the horizontal pleats, between the pleats and the folding line, and between the pleats and the annular groove, the folding and expanding operation must be conducted while making a balance between the above described parts.
There has been a still further problem in the above proposals that since the material must be synthetic resin for a reason of forming the pleats and the folding line, the device cannot be simply disposed of as trash in spite of disposable type.
In view of the circumstances, the present invention has been made in order to overcome the above described drawbacks in the conventional filter device of the container type.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a filter device for coffee and so on, which can be freely folded and expanded having excellent handling performance, which can be manufactured of paper or the like as material, and which can be simply disposed of after use, and at the same time, can be stabilized when placed on a cup for use and can be safely used without falling from the cup when hot water is poured.
In order to attain the above described objects, there is provided according to the present invention, a filter device for coffee or the like comprising an open frame in a short tubular shape, a blind-end frame in a short tubular shape having a larger diameter than the open frame, both the frames being formed of sheet material having predetermined rigidity, a body part in a tubular shape of truncated cone formed of sheet material having predetermined rigidity and flexibility which is deformable and has shape retaining ability, the open frame and the blind-end frame being arranged above and below, and integrally connected by way of the body part thereby to compose a container body substantially in a shape of truncated cone in its outer shape, and a store room for enclosing substance to be extracted such as ground coffee or the like which is continuously provided in a bottom of the blind-end frame, wherein while not in use, the open frame is adapted to be folded and housed inside the blind-end frame together with the body part by means of flexibility of the body part thereby to contract the container body, and while in use, the body part is expanded by pulling out the open frame from the blind-end frame, whereby the container body is expanded and restored to an original cup-like shape.
According to another aspect of the invention, the container body is formed in a tapered shape having its diameter gradually enlarged from the open frame toward the blind-end frame.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a height of the open frame is equal to or smaller than a height of the blind-end frame above an upper face of a bottom of the blind-end frame which is adapted to house the open frame.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, the body part has an upper end edge connected to a lower end of the open frame and a lower end edge connected to an upper end of the blind-end frame, the upper and lower end edges being respectively extended along inner peripheral faces of the open frame and the blind-end frame, and attached to the inner peripheral faces in a face to face contact to be integral therewith.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, the body part has an upper end edge connected to a lower end of the open frame and a lower end edge connected to an upper end of the blind-end frame, the upper and lower end edges being respectively extended along outer peripheral faces of the open frame and the blind-end frame, and attached to the outer peripheral faces in a face to face contact to be integral therewith, whereby the body part covers whole outer peripheral faces of the open frame and the blind-end frame.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, the blind-end frame includes a cup holding frame having predetermined rigidity which is formed at a circumferential edge of a bottom of the blind-end frame and extended downwardly from the bottom.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, the blind-end frame is provided with a reinforcing frame which is extended downwardly from the circumferential edge of the bottom and attached to an inner face of the cup holding frame thereby to form a deep engaging space below the bottom.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, the blind-end frame is provided with a hole in a bottom, through which the store room is hung down, and a skirt extending downwardly along an open edge of the hole and surrounding an outer peripheral face of an upper part of the store room in a face to face contact thereby to hold it water-tightly.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, the open frame and the blind-end frame are formed of thick paper having predetermined rigidity, and the body part is formed of thin paper having predetermined rigidity and flexibility, which is deformable and has shape retaining ability.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, the open frame and the blind-end frame are formed of non-woven fabric having predetermined rigidity, and the body part is formed of non-woven fabric having predetermined rigidity and flexibility, which is deformable and has shape retaining ability.
In the filter device which is constructed and used as described above according to the present invention, the container body can be expanded into the cup-like shape for use, and placed on a coffee cup or the like, in the expanded state prepared to be poured with hot water, and thus can be used as a filter of dripping type. On the other hand, when it is not used or before the use, the open frame of the container body can be pushed into the blind-end frame together with the store room, contracted to be minimized, and housed in the blind-end frame. Consequently, the filter device will not be bulky, can be easily packed, and will not occupy a large space when it is stocked, transported or displayed in shops.
Further, in the filter device according to the invention, the open frame need not start to be folded or expanded at a particular position or part, but can be contracted and expanded from any part taking advantage of flexibility of the body part. Therefore, it is advantageous that the contracting and expanding operation can be simply and easily conducted without feeling resistance.
Particularly, the open frame and the blind-end frame having high rigidity initially lead the contracting and expanding operation, while the flexible body part follows the operation. Therefore, the filter device can be automatically folded by simply pushing the open frame into the blind-end frame, and can be easily expanded by pulling up the open frame.
Further, in the filter device according to the invention, the expanded container body is in the cup-like shape having a shape of truncated cone which grows larger toward its bottom, and the larger bottom can be placed on a coffee cup or the like in a stable manner. Therefore, it is advantageous that the filter device will not drop from the coffee cup in spite of its light weight, when it has received pressure and weight of hot water falling down, and can effectively avoid a risk.
Additionally, because the container body is provided with the cup holding frame and the reinforcing frame to form the deep engaging space below the bottom assuring further reliability, the filter device can be used without anxiety.
Other objects, features of the present invention will be made apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.